I have just returned from a week in Majorca with senior and junior management…
We have been many times, and the end of May is normally a great time to go with good weather duly delivered. Well, as Uncle Bryn says on Gavin & Stacey, ‘I won’t lie to you – it was poor!’
But did it stop us having a good time? No, not at all.
We had a trip from Palma on the rickety train, through the mountains with amazing views, to arrive in Soller and finally Port Soller with its lovely bay. The final bit when you get off the train is done by tram, and as they were built in 1929, they are in amazing nick.
We were in an Aparthotel, and one day sitting around the pool in shall we say (at best) cloudy conditions, we heard an announcement saying we had to beware of the power of the sun and make sure we covered up with lots of sun cream. I think my wife is still laughing now!
Luckily there was an indoor pool available as the outdoor one was a bit chilly. Daughter Charlotte, now almost as big as her mother, had a favourite game – push daddy in the pool. This now seems to last most of the day, as apparently it’s hilarious.
The meals we had were varied, ranging from Spanish – Indian – Austrian – Italian. All of it excellent, as the area (Calvia) has become very affluent in the last decade or so.
Near where the hotel is, there is a square with dancing and singing each night. Some nights they have a tribute band on, for example Robbie Williams or Abba. It must be said, some of these are better than others but the location is on our way back from a meal out at around 9pm, and the atmosphere is usually very good with several hundred people enjoying themselves. Also, we often have a final brandy – or two.
One night it was Rod Stewart, and the guy was not just good, but very good.
Another night it was the Bee Gees. Hands up all you 45-55 year olds who used to gyrate to ‘Night Fever’!
Now I want to be kind here, so I shall say straight away that some of it was ok. The three guys presented themselves well, and the back up music was ok.
It was when the very tall guy, who to be fair was the only one to ‘get right up there’, tried to sing ‘Tragedy’ that it got interesting. You could see him straining to sing the really high notes, and at one point we thought that Orville & Keith Harris were making a comeback!
Ouch it was painful. His face got redder and redder as he strained to get to those ridiculously high notes, and it was with some relief that the song finished. We all gave him a tremendous round of applause with the sheer relief that he had got to the end without passing out.
There was also a new dimension to the holiday, as Charlotte age 10 has suddenly found boys very interesting. 10!
At that age I couldn’t see past a football, but there you go.
